MAJORS · 106 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a civil engineering degree worth it?
Part of Engineering — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$1,039,225. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$1,039,225
across 225 bachelor’s programs · 24,206 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$1.01M
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$911K ⟷ +$1.18M
NEVER BREAK EVEN
0%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
27
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$718K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$118K
Questions
- Is a civil engineering degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 225 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Civil Engineering is +$1,039,225 and the median is +$1,008,919. 0% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$911,296 and +$1,177,508.
- How long until a civil engineering degree pays off?
- For Civil Engineering, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 27. 0% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for a civil engineering major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Civil Engineering graduates span +$911,296 to +$1,177,508 — a +$266K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Civil Engineering: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/civil-engineering